Date
5 – 9 August 2019
Course Fee
€600
The fee includes the registration fees, course materials, access to library and IT facilities, coffee/tea, lunch, and a number of social activities.
Deadline application
1 June 2019
“Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” This course explores the legal framework underpinning this slogan, analysing laws, policies and human rights jurisprudence on LGBTQIA+ issues. The course will discuss instruments of international law as well as evolutions at the national level, but the primary focus will be on the European level.
This summer school course aims to create insight into human rights law as it applies to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) issues.
It will identify key challenges and ways in which members of the LGBTIQA+ community do not yet fully and equally enjoy their human rights, and analyse the relevant legal standards in that regard. Specifically, it will be studied how the interpretation of those standards has developed (i) at a legislative level, (ii) in the case-law of national and international courts, and (iii) in soft law instruments and quasi-judicial decisions, and whether those developments have been moving towards or rather further away from full equality.
The course will discuss instruments of international law as well as evolutions at the national level, but the primary focus will be on the European level. The relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union will also be analysed extensively.
Key topics include
- The concept of ‘personal autonomy’ and its link with SOGIESC rights
- Non-discrimination, including on the labour market and in social security issues
- Family rights, including same-sex marriage, civil unions and adoption
- Freedom of expression and association, e.g. in the context of “gay propaganda” legislation and the organisation of pride parades.
- The legal recognition of gender identity
- Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as a basis for refugee protection
Moreover, at least one of the sessions will be tailored specifically to the rights and needs of transgender people.
Throughout the entire course students will be challenged to critically participate in class discussions. In addition (at least) one full ‘litigation’ session will completely rely on student input. Students will be expected to do research on a specific topic, develop their own legal reasoning, and present it during an in class simulation of a political/diplomatic debate and/or a moot court.
Course Leaders
Johan Lievens
Assistant Professor at VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Researcher at Leuven Centre for Public Law, University of Leuven, Belgium
Nele Verbrugghe, PhD Researcher at Leuven Centre for Public Law,
University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
